Information about effigy: Helvetia, Standing

Helvetia, Standing
Switzerland / Two Francs 1896

Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confœderatio Helvetica, the Swiss Confederation. The name is a derivation of the ethnonym Helvetii, the name of the Gaulish tribe inhabiting the Swiss Plateau prior to the Roman conquest.

This second version, designed by Albert Walch and engraved by Antoine Bovy, replaced the earlier design of Helvetia Seated in 1874.

It features Helvetia standing on a platform, her head facing to the left. In her right hand (at the left), she holds a lance, and with her left (at the right), she props up a shield with the Swiss Cross at centre; thin vertical lines in the background of the shield are the heraldic representation of the red colour of the Swiss flag. In exergue is the legend HELVETIA.

On all coins made from 1874 to 1982, there are 22 five-pointed stars along the rim of the coin, going from the lower left to lower right boundaries of the obverse. These represent the 19 full Swiss cantons of the time and the six half-cantons, which are collectively represented by the three remaining stars. However, when the Canton of Jura broke away from Bern in 1979, the number of stars was no longer accurate. As a result, a new star was added to the right of Helvetia's likeness in 1983. On examples of all dates, the tip of Helvetia's lance extends to the rim and separates the ninth and tenth stars in the sequence. Nine of the stars are engraved up to the lance, two between the lance and Helvetia's face, and 11 or 12 to the right of the central allegorical figure, depending on the year of issue.

The engraver's signature, A.BOVY INCT. (an abbreviation for the Latin text "Antoine Bovy incidit", meaning "engraved by Antoine Bovy), is located around below, displayed counter-clockwise in small letters. It is split in two by the legend: "A.BOVY" appears to the left of "HELVETIA", and "INCT." to the right.

Helvetia, Standing - Example/s on coins
Switzerland / Two Francs 1896

Standing Helvetia on silver coin

Switzerland / Two Francs 1896

The Standing Helvetia symbol is shown here on the extremely rare 2 Francs coin of 1896.
Helvetia, Standing - showing 100 of 336 coins (Page 2 of 4)
NameMintageLegend
Half Franc 1941 200,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1941 1,192,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1942 2,969,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1943 3,526,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1943 4,573,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1943 2,089,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1944 6,225,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1944 7,455,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1944 6,276,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1945 1,134,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1945 7,794,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1945 4,928,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1946 1,629,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1946 2,539,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1946 6,817,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1947 500,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1947 624,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1948 920,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1948 6,113,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1950 7,148,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1951 8,530,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1952 14,023,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1952 2,853,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1953 3,567,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1953 786,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1953 438,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1955 1,320,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1955 1,032,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1955 194,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1956 2,500,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1956 4,250,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1957 6,421,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1957 2,298,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1957 12,085,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1958 11,558,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1958 3,580,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1958 650,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1959 12,581,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1959 2,905,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1959 1,859,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1960 14,528,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1960 1,980,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1960 3,523,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1961 6,906,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1961 4,653,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1961 6,549,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1962 18,272,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1962 6,220,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1963 8,030,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1963 13,476,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1963 25,168,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1964 22,720,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1964 4,558,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1964 12,560,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1965 5,032,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1965 8,526,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1965 17,920,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1966 10,008,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1966 3,032,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1967 16,096,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1967 2,088,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1967 4,132,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1968 41,588,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1968 60,864,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1968 64,920,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1969 17,296,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1969 83,104,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1969 37,598,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1970 10,350,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1970 24,240,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1970 52,620,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1971 34,472,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1971 11,496,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1972 9,996,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1972 5,003,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1973 5,000,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1973 5,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1973 5,996,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1974 15,012,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1974 15,009,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1974 45,006,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1975 7,061,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1975 13,012,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1975 27,234,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1976 5,009,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1976 5,011,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1976 10,009,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1977 6,019,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1977 19,011,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1977 2,010,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1978 12,812,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1978 20,818,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1978 13,548,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1979 10,995,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1979 10,810,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1979 27,014,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1980 10,011,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1980 31,074,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1980 11,012,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1981 13,862,000 HELVETIA
Showing 101 to 200 of 336 Coins.
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Royal Mint
Royal Mint
Helvetia, Standing: Details
Year1874
CountrySwitzerland
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